Abductions

If your child has been abducted by a parent, a guardian, or someone acting on their behalf and taken to another country, we can:

Give you information about various resources that may assist you in pursuing the return of, or access to, your child

Provide you with a list of attorneys in the country where your child is located

Answer questions from local and federal law enforcement about the Department’s role in international parental child abduction cases

Forward a completed Hague Abduction Convention (Convention) application and monitor the case throughout the foreign administrative and legal processes. This applies only if your child has been abducted to or retained in a country that is a Convention partner country, regardless of your or your child’s citizenship or legal status.

We cannot:

Provide you with legal advice, recommend a specific course of action, or represent you in court

Guarantee the return of, or access to, your child

Take custody of your child

Break any laws in the United States or in a foreign country

Pay legal fees, court costs, or any other fees associated with court cases

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